The 2026 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: narrowing window for decisive health action

This document is the third edition of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change in Europe, a report that systematically tracks the health effects of climate change across Europe using data up to 2025. It covers several thematic areas: direct and indirect health impacts of climate-related exposures, adaptation and mitigation strategies, economic and financial trends, and the engagement of various societal actors, from governments to media, with the climate-health nexus. Compared to previous editions, it introduces seven new indicators, methodological updates, and a stronger focus on inequalities in the distribution of health risks across population groups and regions.

The data reveal a marked deterioration in health outcomes linked to heat exposure: nearly all monitored European regions recorded an increase in heat-attributable deaths, with an overall mean annual rise of 52 deaths per million inhabitants compared to 1991–2000. At the same time, the geographic spread of vectors for emerging infectious diseases such as dengue expanded significantly, the pollen season lengthened, and food insecurity worsened across the continent. On the mitigation side, there are some positive signals — growth in renewable energy and clean energy investment — but also serious concerns, including a record high in fossil fuel subsidies (€444 billion in 2023) and rising deaths linked to residential biomass burning. The report also flags a worrying decline in political, media, and individual engagement with the climate-health nexus, despite a growing body of scientific literature on the topic.